Aaron Dignan, founder of The Ready, discusses the need for new forms of self-organization and dynamic teaming in organizations. He explores the pitfalls of bureaucracy, the loss of creativity and serendipity, and organizations sabotaging themselves. He also touches on flaws in the education system, the power of habits and rituals, and the value of retrospectives in the workplace.

We’ve covered feedback before on the show, because learning how to give and receive it is a key part of team growth and success. But establishing an entire system that lets different flavors of feedback flourish? That’s a different can of worms. So, how do we cultivate feedback-related agreements and norms in a self-managing culture? In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans have some solid ideas—and some spicy questions: Why creating a feedback-rich culture is hard—and why not having one is harder Why experiences in and around feedback can feel so perilous and panicky How to build containers in which intense, even critical feedback can happen safely The three different types of feedback we most often run into at work How power dynamics and personal preference play a part in this game Our book is available now at bravenewwork.comWe want to hear from you. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@theready.comLooking for some help with your own transformation? Visit theready.com

Aaron Dignan is founder of The Ready - an organizational transformation and coaching practice. He focuses on how to prioritize adaptivity and autonomy over efficiency and control - which you can pretty quickly extrapolate into upsides for mental health of workers and leaders. He’s also the author of the book Brave New Work - and cohost of the podcast of the same name. Host Morra Aarons Mele speaks with him about he helps organizations and individuals realize they need to change, and how he guides them through that transformation. Learn more about Aaron Dignan here: http://www.aarondignan.com/

Sometimes, Rodney and Aaron stop by other people’s podcasts to nerd out on the hits we know and love: new ways of working, self-management, breaking down the binary between chaos and bureaucracy, the future of work—the list goes on and on. So today, we’re actually bringing one of those awesome conversations right to your ears.Aaron recently joined Morra Aarons-Mele on her show, The Anxious Achiever, for an epic chat about mental health, the workplace, and disrupting the systems that can reward and reinforce unhealthy behavior. We hope you enjoy the exchange and we’ll return with a fresh episode of Brave New Work soon.To tune in for more episodes of Morra’s show, head to her website or search for "The Anxious Achiever" wherever you get your podcasts.-------This episode originally aired on October 26th, 2022 on The Anxious Achiever with Morra Aarons-Mele, presented by LinkedIn.Aaron Dignan is founder of The Ready - an organizational transformation and coaching practice. He focuses on how to prioritize adaptivity and autonomy over efficiency and control - which you can pretty quickly extrapolate into upsides for mental health of workers and leaders. He’s also the author of the book Brave New Work - and cohost of the podcast of the same name. Host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with him about he helps organizations and individuals realize they need to change, and how he guides them through that transformation. About The Anxious Achiever:Host Morra Aarons-Mele is on a mission to reframe how we think about anxiety and mental health in the workplace. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S. We desperately need better models for leadership and a more holistic view of mental health. Our culture tells those of us who suffer from anxiety and depression that we can’t succeed, but we tell a different story — without sugarcoating the tough stuff. We feature stories from people who’ve been there and experts who can help you thrive.

We’ve all been there: trying to suss out what a colleague’s crossed arms meant during a presentation; reading between the lines on a passive-aggressive message; or struggling to interpret a perplexing emoji reaction (what do pineapples have to do with the budget?). We're all just doing our best at understanding our coworkers with little to no real information. That’s where a “User Manual to Me” can come in handy. These personalized handbooks can provide a helpful framework for others to better understand our behaviors, quirks, needs, desires, and working styles—if we commit to getting real when writing our own.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans dive into how teams can make and use these manuals in a meaningful way, including: Why it’s better to be “real” versus “aspirational” when filling one out How you can dig deeper when you keep getting “polite” answers Why user manuals are living documents that should be revisited over time What we can learn about ourselves by making one Additional “User Manual to Me” Inspiration: Adam Bryant - New York Times Brad Feld - Blog Our book is available now at bravenewwork.comWe want to hear from you. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@theready.comLooking for some help with your own transformation? Visit theready.com----------------00:00 Check-in: What's the warning sign on the back of your box?03:55 What is a user manual to me?08:54 Benefits of making a user manual11:07 Why people don't answer some questions honestly13:13 Aspirational vs real agreements20:12 Aaron & Rodney's manuals22:03 Q1 - What do people misunderstand about you?23:33 Q2 - How can people earn an extra gold star with you?27:01 Varsity Q1 - What pulls you below the line?29:34 Varsity Q2 - What are you worried about?34:00 Facilitating user manuals with your own team

What exactly is OS coffee? It’s a specific meeting structure we use to explore topics related to our operating system (a.k.a. our OS). But OS coffee isn’t meant to be a formal, note-taking, let’s-finally-get-to-agreement-on-X kind of deal; rather, it’s about making space for different subjects to emerge and to do some shared sensemaking. In fact, it’s so casual that it’s less like a meeting and more like a gathering. In this caffeinated episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans break down how to OS coffee, including: How to keep OS coffee conversations informal yet impactful How to ground the gathering in a “Yes, and…” headspace How to stand one up inside your own system without it feeling like mandatory fun How to use default agreements to create new group norms Our book is available now at bravenewwork.comWe want to hear from you. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@theready.comLooking for some help with your own transformation? Visit theready.com

Rebroadcast Note: We’re still sleeping off a taco- and margarita-filled weekend at SXSW, so we’re resurfacing one of our most popular episodes today. While two years have passed since we first had this conversation about hybrid work (and much has changed since then), it’s an inescapable fact that many companies are still struggling (some quite publicly) with this particular new way of working. We’re planning on revisiting this topic later in 2023, so email us with your hybrid horror stories and any questions you’d like answered! [This episode originally aired on July 12, 2021.]It’s a major question on many minds these days: When will the office reopen? Or rather: Will the office reopen? Different countries are in very different stages of heading back to physical workspaces (or not); in the United States, the prospect of on-premise work is inching closer as companies struggle to decide between three main models: fully in-office; fully remote; or…maybe some mix of both?In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans unpack why floppy hybrid models are doomed to fail, different flavors of creativity (that don’t rely on glass-walled conference rooms), and what the most adaptive path forward could look like.Our book is available now at bravenewwork.comWe want to hear from you. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@theready.comLooking for some help with your own transformation? Visit theready.com

Dearest Free Timers: I can’t believe it, but this marks the 100th episode of this show since launching on March 21, 2021! Today I've given myself the tricky task of trying to pair down the top ten lessons learned this last year and a half. I wish I could’ve pulled an excerpt from every single guest, but alas! These are the lessons that stuck most, sparking new insights and ahas. 🌟 If you enjoy this round-up, I’d be so grateful for you to share in a review for Free Time: What insights have stood out to you most these last 100 episodes?🔗 Super bonus? Please also share this episode with a friend! Visit pod.link/freetime to easily send the link to this episode or any other favorites, with handy buttons to open in your recipient’s favorite podcast player.✨ Top Ten Lessons from 💯 Episodes ✨#1: See yourself as a star performer, and challenge yourself to delegate ever-more of the rest. [01:54] 006: Going Pro on Podcasting with Jordan Harbinger 011: Pitching Shark Tank with Sarah Apgar 019: Most Valuable Activities with Dave Crenshaw #2: Focus on building process, not reactive replies, to reduce incoming noise. [04:39]002: Eliminate Email with Cal Newport#3: An abundance mindset is bigger than money; remember, we are “Funded by Source.” [07:27]029: Funded By Source with Ksenia Avdulova#4: Zoom out to see brand as an investment, not a cost. [09:53] 005: Brand Obsessed with Emily Heyward 045: Behind the Free Time Brand with Adam Chaloeicheep 093: How to Sell Your Online Business with Alexis Grant #5: Build redundancy by stepping back from being the bottleneck; if you’re running a “body shop” find ways to leverage your IP to create greater scale and reach. [14:24] 057: You vs. You 2.0 with MBS 061: Scaling Boutique Businesses with Greg Alexander #6: Say no to people-pleasing and invitations that don’t spark joy. [19:57] 003: Liberate Your Life Force with Christine Arylo 035: The Long Game with Dorie Clark 071: Cues - On Charisma with Vanessa Van Edwards #7: Go beyond a launch project (after which energy inevitably fizzles) to create a more sustainable sales system. [24:59]012: Generating Personal MBA Momentum with Josh Kaufman#8: Buyer’s remorse is inevitable; create a strategic plan and supporting processes to address it. [26:43]083: Breaking through Buyer’s Remorse—Never Lose a Customer Again with Joey Coleman#9: You’re doing extra work if you’re not creating evergreen email sequences! Save your best newsletters as part of an ongoing welcome series for new subscribers. [29:45]069: Epic Evergreen Email Sequences with Allan Dib#10: When it comes to taking risks and taking on new projects, don’t worry about competition: ask what’s safe to try, and remember that there is room for you. [33:05] 081: DAOing and Prioritizing Progress over Perfection with Aaron Dignan 089: Is the Podcast Market Too Saturated? Featuring Megan Dougherty of One Stone Creative 📝 Permission: To keep hitting publish on your projects and ongoing public original thinking, no matter how awkward or imperfect. 📘 Books Mentioned: Free Time: Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business, Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One 💻 Access Free Time episode transcripts on Podscribe » ❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by leaving a rating or review. Consider becoming a podcast BFF and you’ll get access to a monthly Q&A call with Jenny, a private feed, and access to a community forum with fellow Heart-Based Business Owners.💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join🛠 Get instant access to the Free Time Toolkit: http://itsfreetime.com/tools💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Free Time listener survey🗣 Submit a voice question or comment for future episodes: http://itsfreetime.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to podcasts📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! https://itsfreetime.com/episodes/100 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Landau, Co-founder and CEO of Vennly, shares his insights on leveraging podcasts to drive business growth and engage customers. He discusses the podcast execution cycle and best practices for creating impactful audio content. Aaron Dignan, Founder of Murmur, introduces the concept of a 'culture of agreements' to enhance decision-making in startups. He contrasts this with a culture of permission and emphasizes strategies for effective communication and collaboration, ensuring teams move swiftly and efficiently.

Aaron Dignan, co-founder of a consulting firm that transforms organizations, and Rodney Evans, an innovative workplace strategist, tackle the pitfalls of annual performance reviews. They argue that these outdated practices fail to benefit both managers and employees. Instead, they advocate for a shift towards tailored feedback systems that prioritize personal growth and team outcomes over rigid metrics. The duo explores how open communication and subjective feedback can empower employees, fostering a healthier and more productive work culture.